This invention relates to packaging for collimated-beam optical devices and, more particularly, to an improved package for a plurality of such devices wherein ease of alignment is effected.
Many opto-electronic and opto-mechanical devices are packaged with the active element in the collimated-beam plane (i.e., Fourier-plane). This means that light from an input fiber, typically single mode, is collimated by a lens and illuminates a device at a small angle with respect to the surface normal of the device. The device acts upon the light, for example, by attenuating, filtering, tilting, etc. Then the reflected output signal is directed through a lens and focused into a separate output fiber, also typically single mode. It is known to package the input/output fiber pair, lens and device in a single cylindrically shaped package. However, each such package only holds a single device and its associated fibers. Where multiple devices and input/output fibers are utilized, multiple alignments are then required. It would be desirable to provide a package holding multiple devices and input/output fibers which greatly reduces the number of required alignments.